Hand-held and manipulated catch ball game

ABSTRACT

A hand held, hand manipulated catch ball game assembly is disclosed comprising a ball, a ball launching ramp having an upturned end, a receptacle or basket located beyond the upturned end of the ramp, and a handle positioned at the opposite end of the ramp. The ball is placed on the ramp at the handle end, and the assembly, held by the handle, is tilted downward to roll the ball along the ramp. As the ball reaches the upturned end it is launched into the air whereupon the player manipulates the assembly to catch the ball in the receptacle.

United States Patent [1 1 Cavalier-e June 3, 1975 1 1 HAND-HELD ANDMANIPULATED CATCH BALL GAME [22] Filed: Jan. 18, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.:434,388

[52] U.S. Cl 273/96 R [51] Int. Cl A63b 71/02 [58] Field of Search..273/96 R, 96 D, 95 R, 109 R,

273/113 R, 123 R, 96 C; 46/43 Primary ExaminerRichard C. PinkhamAssistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney, Agent, or Firm.1ames .I.Cannon, Jr.; James J. Cannon 5? ABSTRACT A hand held, hand manipulatedcatch ball game assembly is disc1osed comprising a ball, a balllaunching ramp having an upturned end, a receptacle or basket locatedbeyond the upturned end of the ramp, and a handle positioned at theopposite end of the ramp. The ball is placed on the ramp at the handleend, and the assembly, held by the handle, is tilted downward to rollthe ball along the ramp. As the ball reaches the upturned end it islaunched into the air whereupon the player manipulates the assembly tocatch the ball in the receptacle.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure HAND-HELD AND MANIPULATED CATCH BALL GAMEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention:

The invention relates to toys and games and particularly to hand heldand manipulated games.

2. Background of the Invention:

There are a number of toys and games which involve catching a launchedball in a basket. The well known game of basketball is the most common.Several US. Patents disclose games in which a ball or projectile islaunched and caught in a basket. Among them are U.S, Pat. No. 3,092,387,showing a simulated basketball game, US. Pat No. 3,649,019, disclosing agravity projected ball game with a manually maneuverable target opening,and US. Pat. No. 3,249,358 showing a manually manipulated pivotedprojector with elevated receptacles.

All of the above show assemblies which rest on a table and/or in whichthe receptacle is fixed. In contrast and as will be described below, thepresent invention is completely hand held and manipulated allowing theuser by hand movement to both launch a ball and then position andmaneuver a receptacle to catch it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention may be summarized as handmanipulated catch ball game consisting ofa ball, a ball launching ramphaving an upturned end, a receptacle positioned beyond the upturned endof the ramp and a handle located at the opposite end of the rampv Theball is placed on the ramp at the handle end and the assembly, graspedby the handle, tilted downward to roll the ball along the ramp. As theball reaches the upturned end, it is launched into the air whereupon theplayer manipulates the assembly to catch the ball in the receptacle. Theball will assume different attitudes at launch depending upon how muchthe assembly is tilted, requiring skill on the part ofthe player tocatch the ball in the receptacle, The parameters of the design may bevaried to increase the difficulty of the catch, i.e., the size of thebasket in relation to the size of the ball and the degree to which theramp end is upturned. Further difficulty may be introduced by the playerassuming unusual positions in using the device behind the back orstanding on one foot, for example. The structure and use of theinvention will become more apparent from the following drawing anddescription of the preferred embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The FIGURE is a perspective view of thepreferred embodiment of the inventionv The FIGURE is an illustration ofthe preferred emhodiment of the invention. The assembly designatedgenerally as I0 is composed of support 12. ball launching ramp 14 havingside rails 16 and upturned end 18, ball 20 resting on the ramp, handle22 attached to the support and ball recepticle 24 attached to theopposite end of the support.

In use, the assembly 10 is grasped by the handle 22, the ball 20 placedon the ramp l4 and by tilting the assembly 10 the ball is caused to rolltoward the upturned end 18. Upon rolling off the upturned end 18, theball 20 is launched into the air. The player, by skillfully manipulatingthe assembly 10, catches the ball 20 in the recepticle 24 successfullycompleting the game.

The assembly 10 may be used in a variety of positions to increase thedifficulty of making the catch. For example, the game may be held'behindthe back and ob served over the shoulder or in a mirror. Other positionsand attitudes will be readily apparent to the user.

The size of the device is additionally a matter of choice. The ball 20may range anywhere from a marble to a basketball and an elastic ball mayadd to the diffi culty of catching and keeping the ball in therecepticle 24.

Other variations in the structure and use of the device will be obviousto those skilled in the art. Accord ingly the invention is defined inthe following claims,

I claim:

1. A hand held and manipulated catch ball game assembly comprising:

a Support;

a ball launching ramp attached to said support;

said ramp having ball retaining side walls and an upturned balllaunching end;

a ball receiving receptical attached to said support adjacent to saidupturned end; and a handle attached to said support opposite saidupturned ramp end for manipulating said assembly to launch said ballinto said receptacle, said handle, said ramp and said ball receivingreceptacle aligned along the lon gitudinal axis of said ramp, said ballreceiving receptacle having a ball receiving opening whose axis isperpendicular to the longitudinal ramp axis.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a

ball.

1. A hand held and manipulated catch ball game assembly comprising: asupport; a ball launching ramp attached to said support; said ramphaving ball retaining side walls and an upturned ball launching end; aball receiving receptical attached to said support adjacent to saidupturned end; and a handle attached to said support opposite saidupturned ramp end for manipulating said assembly to launch said ballinto said receptacle, said handle, said ramp and said ball receivingreceptacle aligned along the longitudinal axis of said ramp, said ballreceiving receptacle having a ball receiving opening whose axis isperpendicular to the longitudinal ramp axis.
 1. A hand held andmanipulated catch ball game assembly comprising: a support; a balllaunching ramp attached to said support; said ramp having ball retainingside walls and an upturned ball launching end; a ball receivingreceptical attached to said support adjacent to said upturned end; and ahandle attached to said support opposite said upturned ramp end formanipulating said assembly to launch said ball into said receptacle,said handle, said ramp and said ball receiving receptacle aligned alongthe longitudinal axis of said ramp, said ball receiving receptaclehaving a ball receiving opening whose axis is perpendicular to thelongitudinal ramp axis.